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Bossier City, LA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
Bossier City Code § 46-31(b)(1)
Prohibited act
signal device noise for an unreasonable period
General penalty
up to $500 fine or 60 days jail (§ 1-9)
Enforcement
Bossier City Police Department citation to court
Chapter
Chapter 46, Article II, Noise

Summary

Bossier City's unnecessary-noise ordinance bans sounding any vehicle horn or signal device except when reasonably necessary for safe operation, and separately outlaws letting a signal device, including a car alarm, create noise for an unreasonable period. Sec. 46-31(b)(1) sits inside the city's broader ban on loud, unreasonable noise that disturbs the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others within city limits.

It shall be unlawful for any person to violate or fail to comply with any provision of this Code or to commit any act which is declared to be a misdemeanor or unlawful and where no specific penalty is provided therefor, the violation of any provision of this Code shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500.00 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 60 days or by both such fine and imprisonment, within the discretion of the court. Each day any violation of any provision of this Code shall continue constitutes a separate offense. ... (a)Prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to make, continue or cause to be made or continued any loud, unreasonable or unusual noise or any noise which disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others, within the city limits. ... (1)Horns or signal devices. The sounding of any horn or signal device on any automobile, motorcycle, bus, streetcar or other vehicle except when reasonably necessary to ensure safe operation; the creation by means of any such signal device of any noise for any unreasonable period of time.

Full Breakdown

Chapter 46, Article II of the Bossier City Code declares it unlawful to make or continue any loud, unreasonable or unusual noise that disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others anywhere in the city. Sec. 46-31(b) then lists specific acts that automatically count as violations, and the ordinance is explicit that this list is nonexclusive, meaning a car alarm that keeps sounding can be cited even if the words car alarm never appear in the text. Item (1) targets horns or signal devices, making it unlawful to sound a horn or signal device except when reasonably necessary for safe operation, and separately bans creating noise with such a device for any unreasonable period of time, which is exactly what a malfunctioning or improperly armed car alarm does.

The section sits alongside thirteen other enumerated nuisances in the same subsection, from blaring radios to construction noise, all judged against the same loud, unreasonable or unusual standard. Because Chapter 46's noise article carries no separate fine schedule of its own, a citation for a persistent car alarm defaults to the city's general Code penalty in Sec. 1-9, which caps the fine at $500.00 and jail time at 60 days, with the court weighing fine, jail, or both. Sec. 1-9 also treats each day a violation continues as a fresh, separate offense, which matters for an alarm that a car owner does not silence promptly.

The ordinance carves out narrow exceptions elsewhere in Sec. 46-31(c), such as publicly owned vehicles on official business, but nothing exempts a private car's alarm system. Bossier City Police Department officers can act on a complaint and issue a citation to appear in municipal court.

Violations & Fines

A car alarm that keeps sounding past what's reasonably necessary to protect the vehicle exposes the owner to a misdemeanor citation under Sec. 46-31(b)(1). Since the noise article sets no fine of its own, the general Code penalty in Sec. 1-9 applies: a fine of up to $500.00, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with every additional day treated as a new violation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get cited for my car alarm going off in Bossier City?
Yes. Sec. 46-31(b)(1) makes it unlawful to sound a horn or signal device, including an alarm, for any unreasonable period, and the section's ban on loud, unreasonable noise generally covers alarms even though the word alarm isn't used. Bossier City Police Department can cite the vehicle owner.
What's the fine for a noise ordinance violation in Bossier City?
Chapter 46's noise article has no fine of its own, so violations fall under Sec. 1-9, the Code's general penalty: a fine of not more than $500.00, imprisonment of not more than 60 days, or both, with each day of continuing violation charged as a separate offense.
Are police vehicles exempt from the noise ordinance?
Yes. Sec. 46-31(c)(1) exempts any publicly owned vehicle engaged on necessary public business from the section's noise prohibitions, covering things like emergency sirens and municipal equipment. That carve-out is narrow, though: it does not extend to a privately owned car's alarm system, which stays subject to the full noise ban.

Sources & Official References

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